WHO'S YO' DADDAY?
by Tru Mel Meiko Mei Ling
Summary: Sonic has a bad dream, while Shadow gets a letter in the mail about having a newborn son!
1. Unexpected

**A/N: This story is 'old' but is being revived.**

**A/N: This came to me while listening to Sonic music and remixes and looking over some rough notes for this story. I was bored, and had Writer's Block. So, this particular (experimental) story is the product of Mel letting herself go beyond her usual limits in writing.**

**Disclaimer: I DON'T OWN SONIC AND CO.! But I did grow up with Sonic since '84. He's my true blue fo' life**.

**A/N: Despite the premise, there's** **no shonen ai** **or anything going on. Just a good clean joke with some double meanings and innuendoes in the actions **

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"**WHO'S YO' DADDAY?" Chaptuh 1!**

Speeding through the dark-tainted alleyways, the renowned hero, Sonic the Hedgehog quickly raced. After escaping another mediocre trap by Dr. Eggman, Sonic busily zipped through corridor after corridor until finally coming to an abrupt halt.

Clenching his fists, he led his attention upwards to an abandoned building where a familiar figure valiantly stood.

"Shadow…" he spoke lowly, not knowing his own voice.

"So, I see you've made it this far…" Shadow's smooth voice echoed through the always. "Hmph, faker."

Sonic chuckled and rubbed his nose. "Still at it, huh? Come on, we both know that you're the fake around here."

"Oh really…" Shadow mused, his tone fluid and deep. With a smug smirk, the dark hedgehog held up a chaos emerald. Muttering two words, he disappeared from the roof and rematerialized in a flash of light behind Sonic.

"What?" Sonic wondered, turning around, but was met with a flying fist to his face. With a grunt, he tried to balance himself to fight back, but received another punch from behind him. Kneeling on the ground, the hedgehog panted a little. "So, you want to play, do you, Shadow?" he smirked, and stood up. "I don't mind getting down and dirty."

There was a scoff, and Sonic turned around to see the ebony hedgehog emerge almost seamlessly from the shadows of a darkened building. His emerald was tight in his hand. "So, you're challenging me…" he stated plainly, but it sounded more like a question.

With a grin, Sonic eyed Shadow for a second then disappeared.

Shadow smirked, already aware of Sonic's movements. He knew that Sonic had to have ran somewhere. Nonchalantly, he looked up and saw him charging for him with a kick ready. "Hmph…such an obvious maneuver…"

"The answer is yes!" Sonic shouted, missing Shadow by a mere inch. The moment he landed on his feet again, Sonic leapt up and distracted Shadow with a fake snap kick, then executed a quick sweep, throwing Shadow off balance. Seeing his opponent near closer to the ground, Sonic smirked, then tackled Shadow the rest of the way. Having him pinned with his arms stuck to the concrete, Sonic grinned at Shadow. "Let's see you get out of this one."

Amused, a light smile curved Shadow's lips. "Hmph." With a quick knee to Sonic's stomach, Shadow moved in a black blur, rolling down the steep hills of the abandoned city's concrete with Sonic with tumbling with him. When they finally reached the bottom of the hill, Sonic carefully opened one eye at Shadow, who sat perched on top of Sonic with a dark look on his face. Pinning Sonic's arms as the blue one had done to him, Shadow made sure his grip was firm, then laughed when Sonic tried to wriggle free.

"You'll tire yourself out, squirming like that…"

Not listening, Sonic kept trying to break free, but couldn't remove himself from Shadow's vice-like hold on his body.

"Ha! I've been in worse situations than this. Besides, being beaten by a faker like you isn't my style!"

"Oh really…" Shadow stated, his voice darkly alluring. With a chuckle, he tightened his hold on Sonic, then leaned in closer, staring him straight in the eyes.

"I don't see you succeeding…"

Sonic found himself at a loss for words, as a warmth spread across his face while he looked at Shadow.

"Now who's the faker…?" Shadow lowly spoke, leaning closer to Sonic. He was so close, Sonic could detect the faintest scent of apples on Shadow's mouth.

Unable to move, and finding himself captivated from the strangest reason, the pinned hedgehog shut his eyes and prepared for the worse.

"Whew. We're almost done here" Amy said cheerfully to Tails in Sonic's kitchen as they finished up cleaning after breakfast.

"Yeah!" Tails agreed. "Then maybe we can go hang out somewhere!"

"And have a picnic for lunch." Amy added. Then she sighed, and gazed off into the Living Room where Sonic had taken a nap after eating. Placing her hands on her hips, she sighed. "He's been sleeping all this time. I wonder what he's been doing…"

"Hm?" Tails looked up from putting some dishes away. "Oh, you know Sonic. He's always out on new adventures that spark his interest everyday!"

"Yeah…" Amy trailed off, not really listening to Tails, but just responding to his voice. As if led by something, Amy stepped over to the slumbering Sonic and peered down at him. "I wonder if the stories are true…" she spoke to herself. After a moment of thinking, Amy pulled out a tube of apple flavored lip gloss and rubbed it on her lips. Smacking them together, she leaned in closer to Sonic, then planted a soft kiss on his lips while he slept.

From that, Sonic instantly woke up with a yelping start and nearly rolled off the couch.

With a gasp, Amy rubbed the gloss off her lips, and ran back into the kitchen.

Puzzled that Amy came running back so fast, Tails looked to her. "Amy, what did you do!"

Amy giggled. "The stories are actually true!"

"What stories!"

"That two people are destined to be together if they share a kiss while one is asleep and he or she wakes up!"

"Eh…"

"It's so romantic!"

Tails looked to Amy, then to Sonic who was panting heavily on the couch. "Um, Amy, Sonic I think Sonic is suffering."

"Oh! You're right!" Amy exclaimed, then ran towards the Living Room. "Oh! Sonic are you allright?"

The hedgehog gave no reply, but shook his head to clear his mind from his dream…no…NIGHTMARE. "Oh man…" he muttered to himself, holding his head. "Glad that's over..."

"Oh Sonic!" Amy called, running out the kitchen and throwing herself at him on the couch. Hugging him tightly around the neck, she was practically laying on him, but it wasn't intentional.

"A…Amy…!" Sonic said, trying to pry her away from him, but the girl just hugged him more and started to sob.

"Oh, Sonic, are you allright! You were having a bad dream, weren't you? It's okay now, I'm here to protect you!"

"Can't…breathe...!" Sonic wheezed.

"Amy!" Tails shouted, running into the Living Room. "You're squeezing the life out of him!"

"What!" Amy exclaimed, then looked to Sonic, who began to look bluer than usual, and quickly jumped off of him. "Sorry honey!" she apologized in a sweet voice. Then she looked to Tails with a grave glare. "Why didn't you tell me sooner!"

"Because you wouldn't listen!" Tails squeaked hesitantly.

Amy stomped her foot, intimidating the fox even more. "Whaddya mean, wouldn't listen! Are you calling me ignorant, Tails!"

"N-no..I…!"

"Hey…" Sonic wondered, after regaining his breath. He pursed his lips together, then touched them with his fingers. "…How did my lips get wet… And why do they taste like apples…?" He narrowed his eyes, thinking of the dream. 'No…it couldn't be THAT real…But…what if…'

Amy and Tails jumped when they heard a cry from Sonic, and looked to see him roughly wipe his mouth with the back of his hand, then run into the bathroom.

They heard the water running, then Sonic gurgling.

Angry, Amy placed her hands on her hips. "Come on, it wasn't that BAD!"

Tails cringed, then hesitantly looked to Amy. "Amy, I think he knows you kissed him while he was sleeping…"

"…"

Tails took a step back, preparing for another one of Amy's explosion of anger. "A...Amy?"

Amy stared straight ahead at the couch with her hands curled tightly into fists. With a stern expression, she raised one to her face, then the other. "That Sonic..." she uttered. "That hedgehog…!"

Tails gulped, and quickly stepped back into the kitchen and watched her from a safe distance. "Amy..?"

He watched as her shoulders began to quiver, and she drooped her head down.

At that moment, Sonic woozily came back into the room, and almost tripped over his feet. Seeing Amy with her head down, he dashed over to her and placed his hands on her shoulders. "Amy…hey, you're not crying, are you?"

With a dark chuckle, Amy lifted her eyes to Sonic with a smug grin on her face. "I knew it..."

"Huh?"

"YOU'RE SO SHY, SONIC!" Amy gushed, and threw her arms around him. She hugged him so tightly, Sonic barely felt his feet on the floor anymore.

Tails, still in the kitchen, could only stare in shock as he witnessed Amy lift Sonic up 3 inches off the floor.

"Wow…I guess all that boxercising and working out must have REALLY paid off! …She's almost as strong as Knuckles!" His ears perked up in thought. "Knuckles huh? Hmmm…" Turning his attention away from the two of them, Tails picked up the phone and called Knuckles' cell number.

"A...Amy…you've really gotten stronger. And I'm impressed.."

Amy beamed and squeezed Sonic tighter. "You mean it?"

"Y...yeah...but could you…put me back down now..?"

"Sure honey!" Amy chirped and let Sonic go, who tiredly flopped onto the couch behind him.

He only had time to inhale once, when Amy bent down and rubbed her nose with his. "Thanks for making my day! Teehee allright then! I'll be your housewife for a day!"

Exhausted, Sonic blankly gazed at her. "…Housewife…?"

"Yeah!" she exclaimed, striking a cute pose. "And since, I've already fixed you breakfast, and cleaned the place, I'll go check your mail!"

"Uh, Amy wait..." Sonic started to say, but Amy had already dashed out the door.

Speechless, Sonic sighed, then looked to Tails, who had just hung up the phone and gave Sonic an innocently sympathetic smile.

With a faint smile, Sonic shrugged at Tails, then leaned back in the cushions of the couch with a sigh. 'I should go check on Amy..' he thought, reluctantly pulling himself away from the couch. As soon as he made it to the door, it flew open and Amy pranced in. "Hi darling! Coming to greet me? How sweet of you!"

Sonic didn't say a word, as he watched her dance around. He simply shrugged and closed the door.

Over at Club Rouge, the sensuous white bat hummed a distant tune while polishing her collection of jewelry in her room. She made sure that the gems sparkled and glimmered enough to be able to see her own reflection in them.

"Heehee… I can't wait to wear these tonight." She chuckled to herself, thinking of how'd glamorous she'd look at the Treasure Hunters Convention being held that night. "Mmm I can just imagine the jealous looks on their faces."

She had been so engrossed in her jewelry, she almost didn't hear the knock at her open door. Knowing it was Shadow, she glanced to the door and greeted him with an alluring smile. "Good Morning, your highness."

With a half-smile that looked more like a frown, Shadow nodded to Rouge, then his eyes fell to the jewelry she was working on. He raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms, giving her his full attention. "Plan on crushing any competition with your traffic stopping 'rock collection'…?"

Rouge scoffed, then smirked at him. "You could have just truthfully admitted how stunning I am."

Shadow scoffed this time and leaned against the frame of her door. "Stunning huh? Like how you freeze that echidna in his tracks with one grave glare of those paralyzing eyes of yours?"

Rouge chuckled at his remark, and set her jewelry aside. With a hand on her hip, she whisked a few locks of hair behind her and looked at Shadow. "Mocking me to get my attention? Your attempts at flattery can only make it so far."

"Hmph."

"So, what's up?"

Waiting for her to say so, Shadow smirked and pulled away from the frame, and walked into the Living Room.

"If you wanted me to follow, you could have asked…" Rouge sighed, not directing it to anyone. She quickly and gingerly put her jewelry away, then followed Shadow to the den where he had been waiting patiently.

"What is it?"

"Close your eyes…"

Rouge raised an eyebrow. "What?"

Shadow half smiled, and gave her a "just trust me, already" look.

"Hmph." Rouge smirked, then closed her eyes. "This better be good to pull me away from my jewels for."

"I'm sure you won't regret it." Shadow said, then held out her hand and placed a box in it.

Rouge quickly opened her eyes, and glanced to Shadow.

"You're letting the suspense get to you, Rouge…"

"N-no I'm not!" Rouge retaliated, then briskly opened the package. Her eyes widened as she pulled a genuine turquoise studded ring with tiny diamonds littered around it and with matching earrings!

"…It's beautiful…" Rouge said dreamily, eyeing the gemstones.

"Hm… I thought they'd go well with you… They match your eyes."

"Shadow…Where did you get these?"

He smirked and crossed his arms. " I just happened to pay a visit to the Gem Museum, I mean, 'new jewelry store' that just opened…"

Taking her eyes away from the glittering gems, Rouge lifted her eyes to Shadow and could easily read the expression he gave her. "…You stole it…?"

"Without a trace."

"What?" Rouge glared at him. "You…no you didn't. You're making that up, Shadow!"

He scoffed and turned his back to her. "Does it matter?"

"I know you're kidding."

"Yeah I am."

"Aha! I can read you like a book. But thank you. I really appreciate it." Rouge said, whipping out a magnifying glass and scrutinizing the gems' texture. 'Mmmm They're REAL allright!'

"Glad you like them. "

Rouge quickly hid the magnifying glass as Shadow looked to her.

"Think of it as an early birthday present to wear at the convention tonight." Without another word about it, he casually walked into the kitchen.

Rouge watched him go, then skipped into her room and put her new jewelry away, and went back into the Living Room. When she did, she saw Shadow standing near a table with a half-gallon carton of milk in his hand.

"Aren't you forgetting something…?" Rouge said, with her hands on her hips.

Looking up at her, Shadow frowned, and went into the kitchen to get a glass, then came back out and set it on the table.

"Better." Rouge stated. Shadow glanced up to her with a thin smile and poured the milk in the glass.

Turning around, Rouge figured she'd go check the mail. Slipping outside, she went to her mailbox, and glanced through the letters and magazines as she went back to the door.

"What's this…?" she wondered, looking at a letter with her address, but with Shadow's name on it.

Curious, Rouge stuffed the letter in her shirt, so Shadow wouldn't find it until she saw it first. Then she opened the door and stepped back in. "Allrighty, I…" Rouge trailed off, instantly staring at Shadow and his new milk mustache.

The hedgehog said nothing, but blankly stared at her in return. The remnants of the milk began to slide down to the corners of his mouth and Rouge got the deviously sensual feeling of how the milk resembled something else that was creamy and thick as he licked it off.

They stayed staring at each other for 30 seconds more, until Shadow chuckled, and a very goofy grin inched across his lips, which looked rather scary coming from someone who hardly ever smiled at all.

"Hey Rooouge." He slurred.

"What the..." Rouge began, then lowered her lids and pursed her lips. Noticing his glass of milk was empty, and that the carton was as well, Rouge shook her head.

"You drank too much milk again…"

With a simple chuckle, Shadow slowly nodded. The grin never left his face. "…It was warm too…"

Not knowing if she should be irritated or amused, Rouge sighed, then left him there to head for her room.

"I swear. Why does he even bother to drink the stuff after warming it up? He knows what it does to him! And the nerve he has to mooch off my stuff! " She groaned, as she closed her door halfway, then tossed the mail on her bed. Sitting on the edge of the mattress, she reached into her shirt and pulled out the envelope.

Looking it over, it kind of seemed like a poor attempt of a love letter. With a shrug, she tore it open, and lazily trailed her eyes over the horribly written contents of it.

"Congratulations, Shadow the Hedgehog on your new bundle of joy. You are now, hopefully, the happy father of your new… WHAT!" Rouge declared at the top of her lungs. "Shadow a FATHER! Something is VERY wrong with that…" she muttered. Almost faster than the speed of light, Rouge dashed out of her room and made a straight line for Shadow, who was fast asleep with his head face down on the table.

Not caring that he was asleep from all the warm milk he plunged down his throat, Rouge slammed a hand on the table and caused him to wake up.

"Wake up Shadow!"

With a groan, Shadow slowly lifted his face off the table enough for his chin to rest on the edge of it, and lifted his glazed eyes to Rouge." Wut iz it, Rouge…"

"THIS!" she yelled, shoving the badly hand-written letter into Shadow's face. "You've got some explaining to do."

Trying to make out what it said, Shadow tried squinting his eyes, then widening them. After a while, he closed them again. "…Can't read it…" he mumbled, drifting back to sleep.

Becoming irritated, and amused at the same time, Rouge sighed grabbed him by the shoulder and leaned him back in the chair he sat in so he'd have to open his eyes.

And lazily, he did so. Lifting one drowsy eye to her with the other closed, Shadow exhaled and crossed his arms. "Now what's going on…?"

"Would you read this, or do you want me to do it?"

He glanced at the letter, then back up to her. The side effects of the milk were wearing off. "…Where did you get that?"

"In the mail…"

He looked up at her with an amused frown. "You went through my mail?"

"Yes I did, and I have the authority! I live here, you know. You just stay here."

Shadow smirked a little, trying not to show much of his amusement. "Yeah, well, what's it say?"

Rouge rolled her eyes, then proceeded to read the letter to him. "…You are now, hopefully, the proud FATHER of your newborn baby SON, Shadonic."

Shadow blinked. "…"

"Well, the name is kind of fancy, but sounds too familiar. " Rouge muttered to herself, glancing up at Shadow.

Raising an eyebrow, she simply stared at the hedgehog, who sat perfectly still. 'He's not THAT shocked, is he?' Rouge wondered. Just as she was about to ask what he was thinking, Shadow began to laugh.

Rouge cringed a little. She had never seen him so…"upbeat" before.

"Um Shadow?"

"Haha! That's somebody's poor idea of a sick joke."

"Oh?" Rouge wondered, secretly relieved. "You sound pretty sure about this."

"I am sure." Shadow said. He then looked to her with an emotion she couldn't read and motioned for her to come closer.

Blushing lightly, Rouge hesitated. "You can just tell me straight out, you know."

"I'd rather keep it between us…"

Seeing him look so honest, Rouge shrugged and stepped over and leant an ear. As Shadow whispered a few words to her, her eyes widened immediately and she quickly looked Shadow in the eyes. "Are you serious, Shadow?"

"Dead serious."

"Wow…" Rouge uttered, sitting on the table with her arms crossed thoughtfully. "Well, no wonder you're not worried."

"…"

"Well…at least you don't have to worry about other women taking you to court, claiming that you're one of their baby's daddy."

Shadow frowned and closed his eyes. "Thank you so much for that vivid image"

Rouge gave him a fake sweet smile. "Anytime and anywhere, my dear."

"Hmph. But I wonder…if this came to me…who's the other 'parent' ?"

-Mel


	2. What the HECK!

**_Disclaimer: No, I don't own any of these chars. They're property of Sega/Sonic Team/Sega Studios_**

****

**"WHO'S YO' DADDAY? "Chaptuh 2!**

"Soooooooooooooooniiic! Oh Sonic!" Amy cheerfully called to him, stacking his mail neatly on the dinner table. "Guess what! There's a Treasure Hunter's Convention tonight! Wanna come?"

Blinking twice from her abundance of enthusiasm, Sonic shook his head. "Nah, that's okay. Maybe old Knucklehead's goin'. Treasure Hunting's right up his alley."

Eyeing Sonic with an obviously dreamy look of enchantment in her eyes, Amy sighed and didn't even hear a word he said. In fact, the only following movement she made was lifting her head when Sonic began to step closer to her.

"Hey, let me see my mail." Sonic requested, reaching out a hand for it, but Amy quickly snatched it away.

"Ah ah ahhhhh! Let your housewife do all that! You just sit back somewhere and relax Sonic!" she chirped, wagging a finger at him and winking. "Now!" she added, already beginning to push him towards the couch. "Now, you sit here and relax!" she smiled sweetly.

Sonic sighed and shook his head. 'What am I going to do with her…'

Beaming and thinking that she was being a decent 'temporary' housewife, Amy pranced in a little circle as she flipped through the mail in her hands. Upon coming across an envelope that looked horribly tacky with its awful handwriting and penmanship, Amy abruptly turned her nose up at it and opened it with her hands as far away from her face as possible.

Looking at its contents with one eye, her curiosity instantly won over her disgust and she brought the letter close to read it.

"Congratulations, Sonic T Hedgehog on your new bundle of …joy? Huh!… You are now, hopefully, the proud father of your newborn baby…boy…" Amy trailed off, her words becoming more silent with each breath "…Shadonic…! What…" Puzzled, hurt and amazed all at the same time, Amy gazed slowly upto Sonic with wide eyes on the verge of tears.

"WHOA! Now hold on! WHO'S got a son named Shadonic! It sure isn't me!" Sonic cried, leaping up from the couch and waving his hands defensively. Not making a sound, Amy stood a few feet away from him, shuddering and shaking. Sonic gulped as he watched her hands balled into taut fists. Quickly he rushed over placed his hands on Amy's quivering shoulders. Taking a deep breath, he silently regretted being such a good hearted person to risk his life and sanity just to calm Amy down. Preparing for the worst, Sonic closed his eyes and softly rubbed her shoulders. "Now…now, Amy…calm down…"

At this moment, Tails had finished with his phone call and stepped cheerfully out into the living room. "Hey, Sonic, I just got off the phone with Knuckles and--- " he trailed off once he saw Amy's shuddering form and took a step back into the kitchen. "Uh….nevermind! I'll tell you later!" he stated briskly and went back into the 'safety' of the kitchen. "I'm not afraid of Amy…I'm not..!" he spoke lowly to reassure himself, "But I'm not gonna get close to her when she's mad like this! Sonic may be used to this kind of thing, I LIKE living!"

Back in the living room, Sonic peeked out at her through one eye and swore he could see the table shuffling behind her in the background.

"Oh crap…" he muttered under his breath. If Amy was this mad now, he'd hate to see her REALLY upset.

Hesitating with if he should go or stay, Sonic heaved an uncomfortable sigh and tried calling to her again. "…Hey...uh…Amy?"

The second she heard her name, Amy's head slowly rose until her eyes met coldly with Sonic's.

"ulp"

"Sonic Hedgehog you---!" she started to growl, then out of nowhere instantly became extremely happy and threw her arms around him. "You're so SHY and SWEET Sonic!"

Sonic and Tails both abruptly lost their balance.

"Say WHAT?"

"Amy are you sick?" Tails called from the back of the kitchen. His voice was so faint, she didn't even hear it.

Happily, Amy giggled and nuzzled Sonic's chest. "Oh SONIC! It was such a great idea for you to adopt a CHILD for the two of us to love and care for!"

Silence coated the room as both Sonic and Tails stared at Amy with a wide gape.

Disturbed from her sudden attitude change, Sonic discreetly attempted to wriggle out of her tight embrace, but that only got Amy to hug him more!

"A—Amy, please…" Sonic nearly had to wheeze to get her to hear him.

"Yes, Sonic?" she chirped.

"Please…stop squeezing me, okay? I don't feel like playing any games right now."

"Oh don't be silly Sonic! You know what you did!"

"Yeah, absolutely nothing!"

"Nothing…?"

That was not the answer she was expecting to hear.

She finally released her vice grip around him and looked at him straight in the eyes. "…You did… adopt a child for us …right Sonic? Right?"

Feeling stuck between a rock and a hard place, Sonic sighed and shook his head. "No Amy, I didn't." he said sternly, trying to pry Amy gently off of him. "Now, let me go…"

Amy gasped and dropped the rest of the mail from her hands.

All was silent for a good 3 seconds, then…

"WHAAAT!" she roared, her voice creating a wall-shaking echo. Tails and Sonic both had to grab onto something to avoid tumbling from one side of the house to the other.

'Oh man..' Sonic thought. 'First a bad dream, and now this…!' "Amy, would you knock it off!"

Ignoring him, Amy stepped closer to him.

"HOW CAN YOU DO SUCH A HORRIBLE THING!" Amy yelled, her eyes flashing. A split second was all Sonic had to dodge the table being hurled at him.

"Amy have you lost your mind!" he shouted, ducking to avoid being hit with a lamp.

Amy was in such a rage, that random objects around the room began to levitate and become immediate projectiles towards Sonic—and he barely was able to avoid all of them!

"SONIC HEDGHOG--! " Amy began in a deep and booming voice "YOU LIED TO ME!" she screamed, pulling out her hammer and chasing after Sonic, swinging it wildly.

Mortified, Sonic took off, trying to shake her off his trail, but she kept up with him!

Bewildered, Tails dumbfoundedly watched as Amy tore up whatever was in her path, trying extremely hard to smack Sonic with her hammer while he zipped and zagged around the room.

Tails sighed. "I sure hope a real husband and wife don't act this way…"

Then suddenly Tails jumped as the vibration of something in his pocket surprised him. Digging down into it, he pulled out an orange cell phone and put it closely to one ear with both hands. "Hello?" he squeaked, not sure how to answer to anyone in this type of situation.

"Hey, it's me!" a gruff voice stated on the other end. Tails recognized the voice immediately. "Oh hey Knuckles! Did you get my call?"

"Yeah I got it, but I guess you or Sonic didn't get mine. I called the house a few minutes ago, and I just got the machine."

"Oh…" Tails said, meekly, fingering the phone's antennae. Because of all the ruckus Sonic and Amy were causing, Tails didn't hear the phone ring in the kitchen. "That was because, well um…"

" HOE DARE YOU PENATRATE ANOTHER WOMAN WITHOUT TELLING ME! DIE SONIC!"

"Ahhhh Amy knock it off!"

There was silence on the other end of the phone, then Knuckles laughed. "Sounds like Sonic played with that girl's heart again! I warned him about that! Hahahaha! So who's he messing around with this time?"

"Nobody, Knuckles. That's the thing! But, do you think you can do Sonic a favor and get Amy outta here?"

"I'm on my way" Knuckles agreed, still laughing as he hung up.

Closing his cell phone Tails stood there for a minute, wondering if that was such a good idea…

Moments later, the doorbell rang—several times.

"Man, what's keeping them?" Knuckles wondered, impatiently tapping his foot. "Don't tell me nobody's home!" But the answer was made clear when the shrill sound of Amy's angered voice and countless objects breaking rippled through the door. Laughing, Knuckles shook his head and placed his hand on the knob, when the door suddenly opened on its own.

Standing on the other side of the door was Sonic—a perplexed and wary expression on his face. "Hey Knuckles." He said quickly, then zipped away while Amy tore after him and then he returned. "What brings you here?"

Before Knuckles could even open his mouth, Sonic sped away again to dodge Amy's attacks. Watching them toil around the room, Knuckles chuckled and let himself in.

"Gee, I don't know. I guess I'm just here to watch you make a fool of yourself, Sonic! TOLD you to leave that girl's heart alone!"

"Can it Knuckles!" Sonic shouted, dodging a flurry of projectiles and the edge of Amy's hammer. "What do you want?"

Shaking his head, Knuckles shrugged and then crossed his arms. "I'm coming out of the closet, Sonic." He said in an emotionless tone.

That got everything to stop.

Sonic felt his stomach churn and covered his mouth while Amy lowered her weapon.

"Whaaat!" Amy cried, turning her attention to the red echidna. "KNUCKLES! When did you get here!"

"Just in time to see your boyfriend here turn pale!" He laughed.

"Knuckles...man, that is not funny…!" Sonic retaliated, sounding slightly muffled. Then he recomposed himself. "You've gotta be joking."

"Haha I am joking! I had to get your attention somehow!"

"Ohhh good point…" Sonic agreed, nodding. Amy just shook her head.

"Hey Knuckles!" Tails greeted, finally stepping out of the kitchen and waving.

Knuckles nodded to him with a toothy grin and then walked over to Amy.

Watching him with wide eyes, Amy started backing away. Her chest heaved and her forehead was slick with sweat. "What…what do you want Knuckles? Why are you looking at me like that…?"

He chuckled and casually reached for her hammer and she yanked it away. "Don't try anything, I'm warning you!"

"Relax, Amy!" he reassured and leaned close to whisper something in her ear.

Upon realizing what he said, Amy's eyes widened and she glanced to Sonic, who backed up, and then nodded. "Really?"

Knuckles smiled and glanced at Sonic also.

Getting all these strange looks, Sonic suddenly started to break into cold sweat. "Why're you guys lookin' at me like that!"

"Ohhh…" Amy smirked, lowering her eye-lids in a sly way. "It's nothing that'll interest you."

"HUH? Ya keep looking' at me! Wouldn't that make it ABOUT me?"

"Yeah!" Tails chimed in, coming fully into the living room now.

But Amy just waved their words aside.

"Anyway, shall we go, Knuckles?" Amy asked cheerfully.

"Yes, absolutely!" Knuckles replied with a big grin, looping his arm with hers.

Sonic and Tails both watched in shock as Knuckles escorted Amy out of the room. As they passed a disturbed Sonic, Knuckles winked at him and mouthed. "I've got this under control."

Sonic cringed and for some reason couldn't get the image of Knuckles in a pimp outfit, feather and all, out of his head.

"…Whatever, allright." Sonic shrugged.

"We'll be at the Treasure Hunter's convention if you need to find us…" Then he looked back at Sonic with a smirk. "So get those disgusting and worried thoughts out your mind, hedgehog."

Guilty as charged!

Sonic nervously chuckled and waved them goodbye.

Closing the door behind him, he leaned against it and let his mind wander to past events.

"Man, what a day…" he muttered.

"Yeah I agree" Tails chimed in, as his eyes traveled around the room. "…And what a mess…"

"Yeah… she totally trashed my place…" he added, his thoughts continuing to drift.

"Don't worry Sonic, I'll help you clean it."

"Thanks…" then he spoke up. "Actually, I'm going to step out for a bit and get to the bottom of this—child situation."

"Oh...? Oh okay… I'll just wait for you to get back then."

"Thanks."

"Um...Sonic…?"

"Yeah?" he questioned, turning to Tails.

Tails fidgeted nervously and then looked up at him. "Um…you're not really a father…are you…?"

Disturbed by the question, Sonic sighed heavily and thought of a way to explain it clearly to him.

"Not counting Amy, have you ever seen me with a woman?."

Tails thought about it and slowly shook his head. "No…"

"There, answered your own question."

Perplexed, Tails raised an eyebrow, but before he could ask another question, Sonic had already gone out the door and closed it behind him.

Once outside, even Sonic had to think about what he said. "Did that even come out right?" he

wondered, then shrugged. "Well whatever. I've got to figure all this out…and that means I have

to go talk to that faker…" He shuddered, the remnants of his nightmare returning to him and he

shook his head to dispose of them.

"Why me…?" he groaned, sulking a bit and taking his time to head to the only place he knew Shadow would be---Club Rouge.

-Mel


	3. My Milk!

**WHO'S YO' DADDAY!**

_Final Chapter!_

--

Over at Club Rouge, the voluptuous white bat rushed back and forth in different rooms as she got herself ready for the convention.

Watching her wearily from the couch, Shadow's eyes nonchalantly tagged her as she became an ivory blur zipping around the house.

"Is my make-up straight? Does this outfit look ok? Should I wear heels, pumps or boots?"

Her questions were strangely rhetorical, but because she constantly crossed his line of vision, Shadow made it a point to comment on at least one of them.

"…You look fine Rouge…" he called to her as she rushed by him into the bathroom with four different types of footwear in her arms.

A small smile played across Shadow's features as he heard the constant sound of shuffling against the bathroom floor. He chuckled. 'There she goes, trying to put on two different types of shoes on each foot again…'

Sighing, he got up from his placement on the couch and walked over to the bathroom doorway. Knocking twice, he called to her. "Need any help in there?"

"Actually I do! Great timing Shadow!" she replied, sounding extremely relieved. Hobbling out the bathroom, Shadow had to refrain from laughing in her face from her tacky display.

Her hair was straight, but curled slightly against her cheeks, which framed her face perfectly. Her lips were ripe with dark red lipstick and appeared very moist. The passionate shade superbly matched the identical color of her thigh-length dress—but the shoes…

One loose fuchsia suede boot hung open and unzipped on one foot while a tight fitting green pump was on the other.

Seeing him trying to hold back a laugh Rouge narrowed her eyes at him and placed her hands on her hips. "What's the matter with you! Got something to say?"

Smiling with a faint chuckle in his throat, Shadow shook his head. "Not at all…"

"Well, are you going to help me or not? What do you think I should lose, the suede or the vinyl?"

Peering down at her shoes, and stifling another laugh, Shadow seamlessly trailed his eyes upto her.

"Both of them…"

Rouge blinked at him in surprise and already began taking off both of the shoes. "Really? Which ones do you think I should try then?"

"...The kinds that tie up your leg…" he replied almost too eagerly. Rouge eyed him wistfully. "Oh really?"

"Yeah. Those look great on you…" he trailed off in such a way, Rouge could tell he was thinking about how she looked in them. Smiling and a little flattered, she winked at him and returned to the bathroom. "Sure thing. Thanks Shadow!"

"No problem…" he answered, his eyes following the fluid movement of her legs as she left the room.

Chuckling to himself, he then shook the thoughts from his head and went back to the couch to read.

After random sounds of shuffling later, Rouge emerged yet again and briskly cat-walked over to Shadow. Knowing she was standing right in front of him and awaiting his response, Shadow placed a bookmark between the pages and nearly gasped in shock at how she looked.

Her dress was heightened an inch and the new heels she wore matched perfectly. She had light make up dashed across her face and a rosy smile to match. She was also wearing the shimmering new earrings he had gotten her.

"Wow…" he trailed off, gazing awestruck into her glistening eyes. "…wow…."

Rouge giggled and peered down at her outfit. "I take it you like it! Good! So, nothing looks out of place or any—"

"Not at all...!" he interrupted, standing. "You look amazing…!"

She smirked. "Mmm I know… Now, don't you wish you could come with me, Shadow?"

"In more ways than you can imagine…"he whispered without realizing.

"AHEM Thinking out loud again are we?"

"Um well I uh…You look really nice with those earrings on!"

Rouge laughed at him trying to change the subject. Just then the doorbell rang. Forgetting about who it could possibly be at this hour, Rouge playfully cat-walked to the front door. "Forget it Shadow" she called over her shoulder "I've got you busted!"

He chuckled, watching her every movement. "I wish you did…"

Sharing another around of laughter, Rouge casually placed her hand around the doorknob and opened the door.

Shocked, she gasped as her visitor did the same.

"Damn, Rouge you look HOT!" Sonic cheered, then he whistled.

Hearing his rival's nasal voice pierce his ears, Shadow's face suddenly scrunched into a scowling frown and within seconds, he was standing beside Rouge in the doorway.

"What did you say…." He muttered with a distinct edge and acidity to his voice.

Rouge quickly looked to Shadow in shock. "Someone's sounding a bit too overprotective there, Shadow!" But then she smiled. "Well, I'm gonna be late at this rate anyway. So whatever you and Sonic have to deal with, make it quick." She added and swiftly snuck him a kiss on the cheek before running out the door. "See you later, Shadow! Bye Sonic!"

Standing frozen in place, Shadow said nothing, but knew his face was warming up.

"Whoa…" Sonic commented, glancing off towards the way she left then returned his eyes to Shadow. With a toothy grin, Sonic flashed him a thumbs up. "That was pretty sweet!"

"It sure was…!" Shadow smiled, then falling rapidly out of his daydream, he glared at Sonic. "And just what do you want?"

Sonic chuckled in such a tone that annoyed Shadow to no end.

"Something strange is going on around here and I figured that you might know something about it."

Shadow's features softened as he heard this, but slowly his lip began to curl in digust. "I get the feeling I won't be too thrilled about whatever it is you have to tell me…"

"Yeah…" Sonic agreed, quickly nodding. Fishing in his pocket, he pulled out the letter he had gotten and waved it in front of Shadow's face. "Take a look at this!"

Instead of taking the letter, Shadow just stared at the hedgehog with an unreadable expression. "Can't you just read it?"

"Huh?" Sonic wondered, his voice heightening a pitch. Then he smiled. "…Don't tell me…I know you can read Shadow…!"

Making a face, Shadow scoffed and crossed his arms, "Do you want me to slam this door in your face? I didn't just wake up this morning to hear you talk mindlessly, so tell me what it is before I change my mind…"

Amused as he was surprised, Sonic whistled. "Wow, someone sure sounds edgy today. But let me ask you, does the name Shadonic do anything for ya?"

Shadow raised an eyebrow as the contents of the letter he received came to mind. "Shadonic? ….So then…we both got the same letter…?"

"Oh so you did get one too!"

"… … … …"

"Uh Shadow?"

"….All of a sudden…I feel extremely sick…"

Hearing this, the cerulean hedgehog half-smiled. "Thought you might say something like that…So, I'm pretty sure you know what I'm talkin' about…"

Shadow frowned. "Does it look like I need to spell out the answer, faker?"

Sonic shuddered at the name, his nightmare returning to him. "Uh…well would you mind letting me in first?"

Allowing his eyes to linger cautiously on the blue hedgehog once more, Shadow scoffed and stepped aside to let him in the house.

Once inside, Sonic whistled as he took in his surroundings. "Wow this place is huge!"

With a "hmph" Shadow passed by Sonic and went into the kitchen. "Yeah so. What about it?"

"Sheesh, why the sudden coldness, Shadow? Just a few minutes ago when Rouge was here, you were the exact opposite! Haha! Looks like someone here's got a girlfriend!"

"…I…I do not…Rouge and I are just friends…" Shadow hesitantly retaliated, coming back into the room with a glass in one hand and a new carton of milk in the other. "We're friends and nothing more." he continued, placing the objects on the table and beginning to open the carton.

Grinning playfully, and not believing a word he said, Sonic chuckled and lightly crossed his arms. "Oh yeah? Well it sure didn't look like you two were just friends by the way she laid that kiss on you!"

Shadow froze.

And Sonic gleefully continued on.

"Yeah! And if I didn't know any better, I'd say you two were getting a little bizz-aayyy behind closed doors!"

That did it!

"That's enough!" Shadow yelled, launching himself towards Sonic, attempting to grab him by the neck. But Sonic was too fast for him and dodged out of the way in a split second. "Whoa! Hey! Hold on Shadow!"

"Shut it Sonic! You don't have to stay here you know!" he shouted, executing a flurry of punches and kicks Sonic's way. And very carefully, Sonic blocked them all. "Is that the best you can do!"

"No…this is!" Shadow jeered and judo chopped Sonic on the neck while sliding his foot under his, making him flail in mid air for a few seconds before falling to the floor.

Towering over him, Shadow scoffed and watched him cough while he tried to catch his breath.

"H-hey! **Cough** That was dirty! **cough cough**"

Shadow grinned eagerly. "I know…!" Chuckling, he kneeled down to his nemesis and placed a mocking finger to his nose. "Let's see you get out of his one…you faker…!"

Hearing those words, Sonic's nightmare haunted him once again, and with a squeaky battle cry, he swatted Shadow's hand away and dove for him.

For minutes that seemed like hours, the two of them rolled around having mini-wrestling bouts on the floor—running into the sofa, bumping against the front door…

Before long, they rammed into the table holding the glass and the open carton of milk.

And with another sudden jolt driving into the table, the carton immediately tipped over, splashing the two hedgehogs with cold milk.

Suddenly alarmed by the frigidness of the liquid, Shadow quickly sat up, but kept his hands clamped on Sonic's arms as he kept him pinned to the floor. "My milk!"

Just then the front door swung open and Rouge briskly started to walk in. "Sorry Shadow, I'm back so soon. I---" Rouge's words were shut off abruptly from the scene that was laid out before her.

There they were--heavily breathing and panting, clutched in the other's grip. Sonic was pinned beneath Shadow in a tight grip…with a white liquidy substance splashed all over his face and part of his chest, while the majority of the substance streaked down Shadow's abdomen and his legs.

Suddenly mortified, Rouge threw a hand over her mouth and fled out the door, slamming it shut behind her.

"Oh s#!t, ROUGE!" Shadow called, pushing Sonic a good 3 feet away from him and dashing out the door after her. "Rouge wait! It's not what you think!"

Watching him run out, Sonic sat up and shook his quills, trying to expel as much of the milk as he could and wiped his face with the back of his gloved hand. "Ugh bleagh!" he sputtered "I HATE milk…!"

Springing up from the floor, he dashed for what he thought was the bathroom and opened the door.

Instead of a toilet, there was a bed…a red shimmery and tasseled bed…

Sonic's eyes went unrealistically wide as he put two and two together.

"Rouge has a bed in her bathroom!"

Then again, maybe that wasn't such a good guess…

Standing there a good few seconds as he pondered where the sink would be, Sonic padded around the extravagantly sized bed and once he made it to the other side, he caught glimpse of something he never thought he'd see…

There, rummaging through Rouge's drawers, was Eggman's slinky robot henchman, Decoe.

Sonic watched him, mouth agape as the robot slipped into one of Rouge's slinky silver dresses and placed his hands on his metal haunches.

A loud and odd sound shot through the room that made Decoe jump. Turning around, he was shocked to find Sonic there, trying his hardest not to burst out laughing, but he was failing miserably.

"Oh no! You saw me!" Decoe cried and quickly took off the dress, the shoes, the garter and the stockings that hung off his thin frame. "Wh-who told you that you could barge in here!"

Sonic threw his head back and had a good loud laugh before pointing a thumb to himself. "Let me ask a better question. What are YOU doing in Rouge's bathroom and in her clothes?"

Decoe blinked. "Uhh… this isn't her bathroom…"

Oblivious to what he uttered, Sonic continued on. "Just what is Eggman upto now?"

Suddenly appearing nervous, the slim robot shut his eyes, appearing as if he was smiling bashfully. "Um uh, why do you say that? The good doctor isn't always upto his old tricks ALL the time, you know!"

"I see…and what brings you here?"

Decoe's eyes shot open and fleeted around the room. "Uh um…checking for mice?" he shrugged, and the moment he did, a sparkling and shiny red gem fell from one of his compartments.

The two of them eyed the fallen emerald in silence, then as Decoe reached down to pick it up, several more emeralds fell from him and onto the floor.

Tapping his foot, Sonic chuckled in that cocky little way of his and tightened his gloves. "Time to reap what you sewed, tin can!"

Recoiling, Decoe threw his arms over his face in a poor and feeble attempt to shield it. "Please no! Not the face!"

-

"Rouge! Rouge I said wait!"

"Don't talk to me, Shadow, I don't want to hear it!" Rouge snapped, trying not to lose her composure.

"Rouge, will you just listen to me? This was all a big misunderstanding! That hedgehog he—stop moving!" Shadow complained, and grabbed her by the arm, of which she swiftly yanked out of his grasp.

"Get away from me! There's nothing for you to tell! If you wanted time alone with him, you shouldn't have ever led me on!"

Shadow stopped in his tracks. "What? Led you on…? What do you…"

"You know I liked you Shadow! Don't try to pretend now!" she shouted, green eyes flashing at him.

Too much was happening at once for Shadow, and it took him a while just to get his thoughts straight. "Rouge, wait a minute…I—"

But he was suddenly interrupted by the gust of a strong wind.

Grabbing Rouge protectively by the shoulders, he held her to his chest and looked upwards just in time to find one of Eggman's machines hovering above them.

"The Doctor?" Shadow wondered, holding Rouge closer. In disgust, she pulled away from him and wiped off her dress, now smeared with splotches of white.

Gazing at it, Shadow blushed then quickly apologized. "S-sorry Rouge…I didn't mean to get any of that on your dress…" he confessed—his eyes lingering on the spots as other thoughts came to mind.

Thankfully for him, Rouge didn't see his expression change from shocked to tantalized.

Sighing, Rouge closed her eyes and shook her head. "Forget it. But would it have killed you to at least clean yourself off before you held me!"

Seamlessly returning his eyes to hers, he appeared playfully offended then nervously smiled. "Sorry, I didn't get the memo…"

Rouge groaned. "Now isn't the time for comedy, Shadow! I'm still not talking to you!"

Annoyed, she tore her attention away from the amused hedgehog and eyed the egg-o-matic machine above them. Too aggravated to wait for it to land, she spread her wings and flew upto it.

And there she spotted Bocoe alone.

The bumbling robot had no idea that she and Eggman were no longer on "partnership" terms and seemed rather glad to see her again.

"Oh, hello there, Miss Rouge! I didn't expect for you to still be here!" he stated pleasantly.

Irritated, she grabbed him by what she supposed was his neck and shook him.

"What the heck do you think you're doing here, huh! Speak up!"

Rouge shook him so roughly, Bocoe had to run a quick internal scan to make sure his processor didn't mess up!

"Ahhh! I'm sorry! But didn't Dr. Eggman tell you?"

"Huh?" Rouge wondered, stopping her onslaught for a good few seconds. "Did Eggman tell me what…?"

"Oh that he sent Decoe and myself here to deploy the phony infant for Shadow and Sonic of course! It was to distract them so we could steal the chaos emeralds from them! And he told us to throw that Treasure Hunter's Convention so that you and Knuckles wouldn't be around to---oops!"

Grinning darkly at him, Rouge brought a fist back and decked him square in the face. "Oops is right! Shadow!"

Falling out of his current daydream, Shadow looked up at her instantly. "Huh?"

"Make sure the emeralds are safe!" she called down to him. Nodding, he ran into the house, but he didn't get far before the azure figure of his rival stepped into view.

"Ha! Already ahead of you!" Sonic announced cheerfully, holding a knocked out Decoe over his shoulder.

Seeing his victory, Shadow smirked at Sonic and sounded rather amused. "A little tacky, but not too bad…"

"Tacky! What do you mean tacky?"

Chuckling, Shadow casually pointed downwards.

Eyeing him awkwardly, Sonic eventually followed his finger with his eyes and realized a huge glob of oil had seeped from Decoe and all over one side of his sneakers.

"Awwww crap! I spent 10 bucks on getting these cleaned!"

Shadow snickered. "10 bucks? Where'd you get those cleaned?"

Sonic shrugged then ran past Shadow and outside. "At a carwash!" he called over his shoulder.

Smiling, Shadow chuckled to himself then proceeded into Rouge's room to check for the emeralds. Sure enough they were still there—nicely lined up in a row on her dresser.

Seeing things were still in order, Shadow gave her room one more once over, then closed the door behind him.

Heading back outside, the moment Rouge saw him with a smirk on his lips, she knew her emeralds were still intact and turned her attention to the hovercraft before her.

Both Decoe and Bocoe lay sprawled out in the cramped vehicle and were too dazed to realize Rouge preparing to strike them.

And within the second she prepared to strike, Shadow appeared next to her and they both pummeled the machine and kicked it high into the atmosphere.

Landing in unison, the two of them slapped the other a high 5 and struck a pose just for the heck of it.

Snickering, Sonic mildly clapped for them, then gave them both thumbs up with a wink.

"Now that's what I call a double-team!"

"Oh shut-up!" Rouge snapped.

"…That was cheesy… If clichés are all that's going to come out of that mouth of yours, keep it shut!" Shadow added with a half-frown.

Feeling awkward for being the odd man out, Sonic raised his hands cautiously and chuckled. "Hey what're lookin at me like that for? Anyway, I can see things can be taken care of here, so I'll just be going!" Winking, he waved bye to them and sped off.

Watching him go, Shadow felt a strange and queasy feeling bubble in his stomach.

Realizing him acting strange, instead of asking, Rouge inched closer to him and slipped him a small kiss on the cheek.

Immediately, he turned to her with arising questions in his eyes.

Placing a finger to her lips, Rouge smiled and gave him an alluring look as she sauntered past him.

And as she planned, Shadow's eyes followed her as she reached the door.

Beckoning for him to head over, he did and gave her a curious look. "I thought you weren't speaking to me…"

Rouge smiled and lightly took his hand. "A girl's got the right to change her mind…"

Shadow half-smiled coyly and nodded. "…I guess I can't really argue with that…"

Rouge giggled and pulled him in the door. "You'd better not…"

-

Coming up the hill that overlooked his place, Sonic started picking up speed, but stopped suddenly when he saw Knuckles close the front door.

Looking up, the carmine echidna saw him and started running his way.

Blinking curiously, Sonic looked around, looking to see if anything else of interest could be around that Knuckles would be running towards instead, but became mortified when he found none.

"Oh great…" he sulked and awaited the odd news Knuckles had to tell him.

"Sonic, if you ever see me again, DON'T let that girl near me…She's insane!"

Sonic shrugged. "Well I could have told you that! But you think I'm just playing around! Why do you think I try to keep my distance?"

Knuckles scoffed and wiped the sweat from his brow. Sonic took notice he was wearing a tux and that it appeared to be a little ruffled and torn.

Gazing back up at him, Sonic's eyes narrowed. "Man I feel bad for you if that's a rental… Knuckles…what did you do…?"

"What did I do! Nothing but make sure she got back okay! Eggman had the nerve to show up at the convention and well…let's just say her hammer had plenty of exercise today!"

"Oh…"

"AND I had to stop her before she went on a mad rampage throughout the whole place!"

"Hmmm"

"She's NUTS, Sonic!"

"Duh… Knuckles why are you always the last to know these things?"

Annoyed, Knuckles made a spitting gesture to his left and growled. "Oh forget it, I'm out of here! Go tend to your girlfriend, Blue!" he added, then continued to run off back to Angel Island.

"Hey she's not my--!….girlfriend.." Sonic trailed off, then groaned. "I need a vacation…"

And with that, he dashed to the house and let himself in.

The minute he opened the door, he almost got smacked in the face with a chair as it flew passed him and crashed into the door.

"WHOA!"

"I told you to get out, you idiot!" Amy screamed, lifting another chair, preparing to throw it when her eyes beheld the frame of her beloved and she charged over to him and tackled him to the floor.

"OH SONIC YOU'RE BACK! I MISSED YOU SO MUCH!"she cried, nearly suffocating him with her eager grip and smothering him with a flurry of kisses.

Kicking a bit, he managed to somehow grab ahold of her shoulders and slowly pushed her off of him.

Wiping his face hard with the back of his hand, Sonic stuck out his tongue in disgust and panted to catch his breath. "…A…Amy…don't ever so that again…"

"Sonic!" she chirped cheerfully, grabbing his hand and holding it close to her heart. "I missed you so much! NEVER let that echidna take me ANYWHERE again without you! Eggman crashed the convention and I had no choice but to save those other people from harm and stupidity!"

Not completely tuning her out, but tuning her out enough, Sonic slowly rose to his feet and reluctantly helped her up as well. As she continued on talking, he walked through all the rooms, making sure his stuff was still in place and also looked for Tails.

Not seeing his little buddy around, he wondered if he had stepped out.

Glancing down to Amy, Sonic lightly placed his hands on her shoulders and looked her in the eyes.

She stopped talking that instant and her eyes widened with expectancy and hope.

Looking down to gather his thoughts, Sonic looked upto Amy and smiled. "Thanks for waiting for me to get back Amy but, I've got some things to do today allright?"

"Oh, no problem! I can help you! Heehee I'm still your housewife for a day, remember?"

Sonic cringed at the thought and remembered. "Oh yeah…" he muttered through clenched teeth, then tried to sound cheerful. "Well then, housewife, why not do me a favor and find Tails for me?"

Amy blinked warily. "I'm your housewife, not your maid. But since it's you Sonic, I'll go give him a call." She replied, and gave him one last quick hug before skipping into the kitchen.

Shuddering from her touch, Sonic watched her go, then finally released a well needed breath of relieved air.

It wouldn't be long until she came back to glomp him again, so he figured he had better enjoy his free time while he had it. Opening the front door, the young hedgehog stepped outside and took in the sight of the setting sun before him.

"Wow…that's nice…"

"…Yeah it is…"

Recognizing the voice immediately, Sonic glanced over to his left and was especially surprised to see Shadow leaning up against a nearby tree with his arms crossed.

Gazing up at Sonic, he smirked. "What's up?"

Sonic chuckled. "Ah the usual…" Then he glanced around and whispered: "Amy's back."

Shadow laughed and shook his head. "Ah, I missed the embarrassment, didn't I? She tackled you already, didn't she?"

"…Do you even have to ask?"

"Haha…"

Sighing, Sonic closed his eyes, then he laughed as well. Reopening them, he then spotted something red on Shadow's neck. "Hey Shadow…what did you get into?"

The dark hedgehog blinked in curiosity and confusion. "Huh? What do you mean?"

Sonic chuckled slyly as he placed a hand to his own neck, to alert Shadow of what was on his. "…Looks like something bit you there…or is that a rash?"

Flashing a bright shade of crimson, Shadow's arms dropped to his sides and he stared awkwardly into space.

Was it that visible already? "Damn it Rouge…!" he muttered under his breath, rubbing his neck "I told you it was going to show up…!" Then he groaned. "…She doesn't even know her own strength."

"HAHA! Rouge gave you a hickey?"

Shadow's body was beginning to gradate into a red tint now.

"C-Can't we change the subject!"

"Ha! Fine. So what brings you here, huh? We worked pretty well as a team, didn't we?"

"Hmph…maybe…" Shadow scoffed, his coat returning to its normal colors.

Seeing his rival act like his old self again, Sonic smiled warmly then turned his attention to the streaked warm sky and setting sun beneath it.

"… Say Shadow…"

"Yeah…?"

"Why do you suppose Eggman went through all that trouble into sending those letters just to distract us from guarding the emeralds?"

Shadow shrugged. "Beats me. It was a bit unusual for the Doctor, but, it's done with now."

Nonchalantly, Sonic replied. "Yeah…"

"Hmm…"

There was a small pause, then Sonic turned to Shadow, who returned his quizzical gaze with a smug one of his own. Stepping over to the younger, Shadow handed him a slip of paper.

Taking it, Sonic skimmed it over. "What's this?"

"A list of the name brand milk you wasted all over Rouge's floor. I'd like for you to restock it, since you were responsible for spilling it!"

"Huh! Hey, you attacked ME first!"

"So! You were the one who bumped into the things the most, so it had to be you who knocked it over!"

"What! That's your proof! That's nothing!"

"Care to prove me wrong?"

Sonic thought for a moment, then waved the situation away. "Naaah. Amy'll come looking for me soon. Oh well at least I got some time to myself."

"Yeah? I'm on a tight schedule myself. Waiting for Rouge to get out of the shower and wash her hair."

Silence.

"Then what are you doing standing here for, you idiot!" Sonic shouted playfully. "Get going! You of all people should know not to keep a gorgeous lady like her waiting! And she's taking a shower, man!"

Shadow looked around and shrugged. "So what if she is?"

Sonic gave up. "UGH! Nevermind! Just hurry up and get back to her. I'll see you later, Shadow. Thanks for droppin' by."

Shadow nodded slightly. "Sure, no problem." He stated.

Content, Sonic turned to leave.

"Hey…"

"Yeah?" Sonic asked curiously.

Smirking, Shadow pointed at him. "And don't forget about my milk!"

Laughing a bit, Sonic shook his head and went back in the house. "…Yeah I'll get on that." And with that, he closed the door behind him.

Chuckling a bit to himself, Shadow drifted his attention upto the rosy vermilion sky above, then quickly made his way back to Club Rouge.

-Mel


End file.
